As we noted this morning, the United States men's Olympic hockey team overcame tremendous odds to defeat Canada by a score of 5-3 yesterday. The U.S. team will now advance to the top seed of the quarterfinals, adding another wrinkle to an already unusual Olympic tournament.
Much of the credit for the unlikely victory goes to goaltender Ryan Miller, whose day job is with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and who racked up 42 saves in a tense and heated match-up. Of course, Miller didn't do it alone: He had support from his able-bodied teammates, as well as a hand from Angus Young and Jared Leto.
Like many elite Olympic athletes, Miller uses music to help get him into the game-time mindset. "It varies, but a lot of the time it's a lot of modern rock mixes," Miller told MTV News in Vancouver. "I've been listening to Kings of Leon for a long time — ever since they had mustaches and long hair, so I like that they've had some success. I like that 30 Seconds to Mars has new stuff out. I like Silversun Pickups, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, stuff like that."
Teammate Ryan Callahan — a forward who plays with the New York Rangers — likes it a little older and heavier. "I keep it more old-school and simple," Callahan said. "AC/DC and Metallica get me really pumped up and ready to go. I like listening to that stuff before the games."
The men play again on Wednesday, but on Monday (February 22), the women get the chance to continue the U.S. hockey run in Vancouver. The U.S. will play Sweden in a semifinal game, and you can bet that an eclectic mix will help the ladies get ready to play. "On my iPod, I like to listen to hip-hop," forward Kelli Stack told MTV News. "I have a lot of Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z and Eminem. But in the locker room, it's a little bit of everything, so a little bit of hip-hop, a little bit of country."
What would you play in the locker room to get ready for an Olympic hockey game? Leave your ideas in the comments!